(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microcapsule fat powder of omega-3 (Ω3) enriched meat, egg and milk, and a preparation method thereof.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) refers to a linear-chain fatty acid containing two or more double bonds, and the carbon-carbon bond length is equal to the length of 18˜22 carbon atoms. PUFA is the main body and core on the research and development of functional fatty acids. Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids include α-linolenic acid, EPA and DHA. The α-linolenic acid is a precursor of EPA and DHA and has an effectiveness of over 60% on reducing triglyceride, cholesterol, and β-lipoprotein. EPA is called “Vascular Scavenger” and has the effect of dredging and cleaning up heart blood vessels to prevent various different cardiovascular diseases. DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid or commonly known as “Gold for brain” is a very important polyunsaturated fatty acid to human body and a very important member of the Ω3 unsaturated fatty acid family. DHA is an important fatty acid ingredient in nerve and visual cells and has important effects for maximizing the normal physiological functions of human body and preventing and treating many diseases, and particularly plays an important role in the development of infant brain and visual system. Human brain contains more than 14 billion neurons, and a large quantity of DHA is existed in brain cells and cell synapses and DHA is a main constituent of human brain cells, and 10% of cell lipids in a human brain is DHA which is a necessary substance for the formation of human brain and the development of intellectual quotient (IQ). Lack of DHA may trigger a series of symptoms including growth retardation, scaly skin, infertility, mental retardation, etc. The intake of Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and the incidence of coronary heart disease are negatively correlated, and DHA and EPA have a better anticancer effect.
The Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid occupies 32.9% of fats in sperms and has a significant effect on the mobility and integrity of cell membranes. A large amount of EPA and DHA exists in deep sea fish oils, and the content of Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids of salmon, trout, sardine, and tuna oils is not less than 20%.
Linseed oil (or sesame oil) contains 51.7-57% of linolenic acid (ALA or octadecatrienoic acid) which is the main raw material for producing Ω3 enriched eggs. Besides the linseed oil, Ω3 enriched plant seeds (or oils and cakes) such as Sichuan pepper, carthamus tinctorius, pine needle, evening primrose, camellia, perilla frutescens, Chia, rubber, etc, and even pennisetum americanum has a rich content. The production of Ω3 enriched eggs by adding these plant compositions is a result from the effect of ALA. Schizochytrium sp. and Thaustochytrium sp. are fermented, separated and dried to prepare a feed material with the DHA content over 20%. This technology has matured, and its extensive usage in the feed industry still waits for a significant drop of the production cost.
In today's needs for food, most Chinese people have insufficient intake of Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and just take 80 mg/day which is much lower than the intake of 200 mg/day recommended by American standards, and further lower than the intake of 450 mg/day recommended by European standards. How to increase the content of Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the structure of our diets has attracted widespread attention, so that the development of food (such as meat, egg and milk) of Ω3 enriched polyunsaturated fatty acids becomes necessary.
Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can be enriched into meat, egg and milk through feeds:
(1) Tie Qi Li Shi Group Ltd. (Sichuan, China) mainly adds 1% of smashed linseeds into the feeds, and this method features the advantages of simple process and low cost and the disadvantage of having two kinds of poisons (VB anti-factor and toxic cyanogenic glycoside included in the linseed) that limit the direct addition of the linseed into the feeds.
(2) Jinjiang Green Health Eggs Co., Ltd (Fujian, China) adds 6% of fish oils, algae powder and linseed to increase the yolk DHA up to 5˜6 times, and its core still has an effect of 1.7% of fish oils.
(3) Shanghai Zhanwang Group, Ltd. (Shanghai, China) adds a mixture of linseed oil and deep sea fish oil into fermented feeds containing lactobacillus and feeds laying hens to produce Ω3 enriched eggs.
However, Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid may be spoiled and oxidized easily, and the present Ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids added into the feeds are difficult to be absorbed by poultry or entered into the meat, egg and milk of poultry and livestock.